🚀 go-pugleaf

"Ian S. Salisbury" <isalisb@nospam.gmail.com> wrote in message 
news:g40gku$pn4$1@ftupet.ftupet.com...
>> I'm just guessing, but you may be able to increase the distance of a 
>> usable digital signal by increasing the number of parity bits.  Then it 
>> becomes a matter of how big of a buffer the receiver has, and how much of 
>> a delay is acceptable.
>
> Guess#2  DirecTV sends a digital signal over a pretty big distance, would 
> an analog signal make it that far without scattering and bouncing and 
> reflecting all over the place, even interfering with itself?
>

> There's some ham operators in here, aren't there?

Yes

The digital age has come around long after I got my license, and I've only 
tracked it a wee bit.

Hell, I didn't even do packet, and it's been around forever.

OK.....let me think......you have a signal that is, lets say 10 mv at your 
location.

Now, lets say that you have an antenna that is delivering that signal to the 
receiving equipment at -20 dbm.

Your receiver is sensitive enough to give you a snowy, but distinguishable 
video display at that strength.

Digital requires a stronger signal to read the bits, i don't think it's gonn 
make it.

The station engineer that stated, "theoretically a digital signal could go 
farther", also stated in a second e-mail that, "people who have a marginal 
analog signal now will probably not be able to get us after the switchover".

RF is RF....it's simply a medium to carry information. Its' going to act the 
same, after being affected by atmospheric conditions, sun spots, and 
physical obstacles no matter what info it's carrying.

So....no....no way do I see any upside for anyone in a less than pristine 
receiving position.

Apparently the FCC is mandating much lesser ERP's for digitals than analogs, 
and that's going to be the fly in the soup.

Of course, that pretty much just affects people like me, who are in a market 
where they have some locals that refuse to be carried on satellite, and can 
only be viewed OTA.

Any MIT'ers out there who want to comment or dispute, please keep it simple.

Between this and commenting on the Supreme's gun decision, I ahve used most 
of my thought process allocated for this month.